Richard griffiths



R. GRIFFITHS.

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.Patented Nov. Z6, 18795.

v v )f SHOM/w11 UNITED STATES` PATENT OFFICE.

4inici-IARD.eEIEErrns, or cHIcAeo, ILLINOIS.

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SPECIFICATION-forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,388, dated November 26, 1895.

Application iiledAugust 3, 1895. Serial No. 558,141. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Beit known that I, RICHARD GRIEFITHs, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vises, of

which the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to bench -vises espe- Io cially intended for woodworkers use, but capable of use by metal-workers and for analogous purposes.

The object of the invention is to produce a vise in which the clampin g-j aw may be opened to any desirable width within the capacityv of the vise by a quick sliding movement, and from this open position closed slightly by a turn of the same lever or handle which is used in all the manipulations, and to generally im- 2o prove the construction and operation of vises of this class.

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of the bench-vise with some parts in elevation. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the same with the 2 5 1 casing partly broken away. Fig. 3 is a crosssection through the shell and locking-dog Fig. 4 is a broken perspective detail of the locking-cam on the lever. Fig. 5 is a detail of a broken perspective detail of the cam 3o abutment on the jaw.

The shell 1 is preferably of cast metal, nearly rectangular in general outline, and provided withl lugs 2 3 at its upper corners, by which it may be bolted to the under side 3 5 of a work-bench. The projecting jaw 4 is preferably integralwith the shell and may be notched onto the bench 5, and the overhang 6 on the top of the jaw serves to hold the shell firmly to the bench, so that the bench really 4o forms the backing of the jaw.

The shell 1 is open at the bottom, but has lugs 7 7 projecting at its sides, into which screws or bolts 8 enter to hold the bottom plate firmly to the shell.

45 The bottom plate 10 is a metallic plate having side lugs 11, through which screws or bolts 8 pass into lugs 7 to hold the bottom to the shell. The lugs and bolts are a convenient means of attachment; but other means might 5o be used.

The bottom plate 10 has a slot 12 extending nearly its entire length, and the plate may be strengthened by ribs or anges 13. Ribs 14 near the front of the plate give'strength and rigidity. 5 5

The inner face of bottom plate 10, between the sides of the shell 1 and at bothl sides of slot 12, has rack-teeth 15, eXtending crosswise,

the perpendicular faces of these teeth being toward the rear. 6o

The movable jaw 24 is preferably attached to slide-piece by a socket-and-pin connection, as indicated in Fig. 1; but the jaw and slide-piece may be integral. The slide-piece 2O is preferably a rectangular metallic shell 65 or casting, which carries the movable jaw and slides loosely inside the shell 1. The front end of the slide-piece has a strong shoulder 21, and the rear end has a plate 22, and the spindle passes through bearings in this 7o shoulder and plate. This spindle is preferably a steel rod7 and can slide, as well as turn,

in its bearings.

The front end or shoulder 2l of slide-piece 2O has on its outer and inner faces cam-plates or 7 5 screw-sections 23 and 26. The rod 30 has rigidly fixed thereto the complementary screwsections or cam-surfaces 33 and 3 6. These cam-faces or screw-sections are of opposite pitch, so that if the rod or shaft 30 be secured 8o against longitudinal movement the partial rotation of said rod -in one direction will press the slide-piece 2O and its jaw outward or away from jaws 4 by the engagement of inclines 33, carried by the rod, against inclines 23 on 85 the shoulder of the slide-piece; and under like conditions a reverse rocking movement of rod 30 will press the slide and jaw inward by the engagement of cams, inclines, or screwsections 36, attached to the rod, with the com- 9o lplementary inclines 26 on the shoulder or end of the slide-piece.

The inclines 23 and 26 on the front and rear faces of shoulder 21 do not make a complete half-turn but thereis a straight or flat face 23 or 26X, against which the extreme end of the complementary inclines 33 or 36 will bear during a small part of the rocking of bar 30, so that this rocking may take place for a limited distance without Inoving the jaw and roo slide-piece either out orl in.

Rod 30 may be rocked by means of the lever or handle 3l, rigidly connected thereto. Near the rear end of the rod two collars 35 and 37 are pinned or otherwise securely fastened to the rod. Between these collars there is a dog 40, havingV ratchet-teeth 4l at its lower end. rlhe dog is open at the center and has an inclined shoulder 42 in position to be engaged by a pin 39 in rod 30 to lift said dog. The rocking of rod 30 in a particular position lifts the teeth of dog 40 out of engagement with teeth 15 of plate 10; but normally dog 40 is pressed down by a spring 43, attached to the inside of the slide-piece and bearing on the dog. The fiat places 23 and 26X on the abutting surfaces permit such rocking of rod 30 as will cause the dog 40 to be locked to plate l0 before the engaging cams or screwsections begin to exert longitudinal pressure on the front or rear faces of shoulder 2l; but when the complementary inclines engage, dog -IO being then in firm engagement with plate 10 and rod 3() being held against longitudinal movement by collars 35 or 37, engaging said dog, the shoulder 2l, slide-piece, and jaw will be pressed forward or backward bythe engagement of the inclines, according to the direction in which the lever is turned.

To unlock the dog, lever 3l is swung to its extreme position, which moves the jaw outward to the extent of the inclines and then raises the dog while the inclines 33 are passing over the fiat surfaces 23X. The dog being unlocked, the slide-piece may be quickly slid out or in to any desirable distance within the scope of the machine by drawing on lever or handle. When the jaw is at approximately the right position, lever 3l is turned downward, as generally constructed, and rod 30 is rocked, permitting spring 43 to first lock the dog, and then the engagement of the incline presses the jaw forward with great force.

rlhe bolt or retaining-head 50, below the bottom plate, is connected by a stem 51, passing through the slot in said bottom plate, to the sliding piece, preferably at the inner end thereof, as shown. The sliding piece is thus guided and prevented from lifting at its rear end.

I have described the device in the best form known to me; but modifications may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from my invention.

Vhat I claim isl. In a vise of the character described, the metallic shell having a fixed jaw attached, the removable bottom plate of such shell having a longitudinal slot and transverse rack teeth, and the sliding piece carrying the movable jaw and having a dog with teeth thereon in position to engage said rack teeth, a retaining head on the sliding piece passing through the said slot, and means for engaging and disengaging the dog with the rack teeth, all combined substantially as described.

2. In a vise of the character described, the shell having a rack with which the dog may en gage and the slidingpiece in said shell, the jaws carried by said parts, and the rock shaft having inclines engaging said sliding piece as described, and the dog operated in one direction by the rock shaft and the other by a spring, all combined substantially as described.

3. In a vise of the character described, the shell having rack teeth with which the dog may engage and having a fixed jaw, the sliding piece and movable jaw, the rock shaft carried by the sliding piece and having inclines to bear against inclines on the sliding piece, one of said engaging parts having plane faces adjacent to the inclines, and the locking dog actuated by the rock shaft while said plane faces are in contact with the corresponding projections on the other bearing part, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD GRIFI'lI-IS.

Witnesses B. E. HARRIS, C. HALL. 

